Johnson, DeChambeau, Casey part of Saudi field

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Greener. Cooler. Windier. And tougher. Those are a few of the adjectives players have used to describe the return of THE PLAYERS Championship to March for the first time since 2006. The best players in the world are preparing to take on a different sort of TPC Sawgrass now that the tournament has been moved back to March. The Stadium Course has new grass (ryegrass as opposed to Bermuda) and new, rye-overseeded greens. And that’s not all that’s different. The weather will be cooler (70s dipping to 60s on the weekend, as opposed to 90s). The wind could well be different (coming out of the north and into players’ faces on 17 and 18). And to a man, players this week have said the 7,189-yard, par-72 Pete Dye gem feels much longer. “The ball doesn’t fly as far,â€� said Tiger Woods, the only player to win THE PLAYERS in March (2001) and May (2013), and one of only two in the field (Adam Scott) to have won the tournament in March. “The golf course just plays slower.â€� Paul Casey said he played the first hole with a 3-wood and a sand wedge in May. But when he tackled the hole in a practice round on Tuesday, it was driver, 7-iron. Indeed, March presents a tougher PLAYERS, statistically. Since 1995, the dozen March PLAYERS were a combined .92 strokes harder than the dozen May PLAYERS. Players have shot zero rounds of 63 in March, six in May. There have been 18 fewer rounds of 65 or better in March than May, and 117 more rounds in the 80s. “I’ll let you know on Sunday,â€� Justin Thomas said, when asked which date he prefers. “I’ve played nine holes. … I loved it in May. Just, I love firm, fast, tricky conditions, if you will. But at the end of the day, I’ve played well on soft, longer courses before.â€� A hard rain fell on the course Monday night, and a stiff wind blew all day Tuesday. Conditions were calmer Wednesday. Come Thursday, conditions are expected to be on the mild, sunny side, but that’s expected to change with weekend showers and cooler temperatures in the 60s. All of which has an impact when it’s time to take on some of the most demanding holes in tournament golf. Consider: Over the last 12 years of May PLAYERS, the field has gone a combined 227 over par on the watery, nerve-wracking final three holes. For the 12 years of March PLAYERS before that, they went a combined 854 over par on those same holes. Big difference. Woods said he was once between a 5- and 6-iron for his tee shot at the island 17th hole in March. Few of today’s younger players can recall needing much more than a pitching wedge in May. Absent a T4 finish in 2014, Justin Rose has never done particularly well at THE PLAYERS, missing the cut six times in 15 starts. The change to March? He’s ready to roll the dice. “When it’s green, I think it just—everything sets up better,â€� Rose said, “and for me personally, they talk about does the golf course suit your eye, and I think that when it’s greener the golf course does suit your eye a lot better around here. The definition is there in terms of the run-outs and the fairways and the margins that you’re playing with.â€� Thomas expects fewer tee shots to roll out into the rough. When they do, the ryegrass is thick but fairly short, only a couple of inches. What’s more, he added, it’s more predictable than Bermuda. The X factor this week may be those tee shots. Stiffer winds and cooler temperatures may put a premium back on driving; not for nothing have March winners included such impeccable drivers as Davis Love III (twice), Greg Norman, Adam Scott, and peak Woods. In May, Scott said, firm fairways left everyone in the same spot off the tee, “whether were you a long hitter and hitting an iron off the tee or a shorter hitter hitting a 3-wood or driver.â€� Like Rose, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is looking forward to the change. “I’ve struggled there in May,â€� said Johnson, who will make his 11th start and is still looking for his first top-10 finish here. “So hopefully … the golf course is going to play completely different. I feel like the ball’s not going to go near as far, probably going to be a little bit softer, hit a lot more drivers. I just always remember growing up watching THE PLAYERS and it being green and overseeded and guys hitting shots and spinning back. “You can’t do that in May,â€� he added. “Everything bounces forward.â€� Paul Casey, too, is excited for the tournament’s back-to-the-future calendar dates. He has played TPC Sawgrass in a field-best 1.62 fewer strokes per round in March (albeit with just two starts, including a T10 in 2004) over May (nine starts, four missed cuts, two WDs). “I know it’s harder, but I like harder golf courses,â€� Casey said. “For some reason, I could never figure out how to play it in May.â€�

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THE OVERVIEW By Cameron Morfit, PGATOUR.COM Although Justin Thomas won the FedExCup last fall, he’s the first to admit that among the highly decorated high school Class of 2011, Jordan Spieth (who finished second in the Playoffs) remains the valedictorian. Simply put, no one else can match Spieth’s numbers: He has won 11 times, including three majors, since the start of 2015. More mind-boggling still, he will go for the career grand slam at the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Aug. 9-12. And he’s still just 24. (He will be 25 by the time he plays the PGA.) TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule In case you were living on the moon last season, Spieth made the bogey of the year at The Open Championship, his 5 from the driving range next to the 13th hole at Royal Birkdale featuring a wide-right tee shot; a 20-minute ruling; and an up-and-down to limit the damage. Two holes later, Spieth rolled in a long eagle putt and told his caddie, Michael Greller, “Go get that.â€� (Golden State Warriors shooting guard and sensational amateur golfer Stephan Curry would later repeat the unforgettable quip at the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic.) Spieth would go 5 under on the last five holes to defeat playing partner Matt Kuchar by three strokes.   Keep in mind, all of this riveting theater took place a month after Spieth hit the unofficial shot of the year, his delirium-inducing bunker hole-out to beat Daniel Berger in a sudden-death playoff at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The image of a flying rake and a soaring Spieth and Greller crashing into one another in celebration won’t soon be forgotten. Spieth led the TOUR in scoring (68.846), birdies per round (4.49), and Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green (.906). He will defend titles in 2018 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Travelers and The Open. But the truth is Spieth can win anywhere; of his 11 TOUR titles, he has hoisted only one tournament trophy twice, at the John Deere Classic. This is one of the most staggering talents we’ve seen in decades. BY THE NUMBERS How Jordan Spieth ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: N/A Playoff appearances: 5 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best result: Won in 2015. At 22, he was the youngest winner in FedExCup history. INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Jordan Spieth in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Ben Everill Everyone is always keen to highlight the friendship between Justin Thomas and Spieth but don’t think for a second there isn’t a fierce rivalry as well. While happy for Thomas’ achievements last season, Spieth sees it as a benchmark to strive past. We have the makings of many sensational battles going forward. His win at the Open Championship put him just a PGA Championship shy of the career slam but he will probably have multiple wins again before we reach that part of the year. If the putter gets hot, he will return to world No. 1. Click here to follow Ben on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton We’ve given him a pass because the adjustment in the wake of the lesson worked. Like so many before him, he nibbled on the allure to travel abroad early in 2016 and he didn’t fully recover from the physical toll in time to stake a stronger case for becoming the first to successfully defend the FedExCup. With that wisdom filed, he resisted opportunities early this year. Lo and behold, it transpired much more like his historic 2015 campaign. As long as he sticks with that model, there’s zero reason to doubt him at any time. Just 24 years old. Sigh. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Spieth used the end of the 2017 season to make some major changes to his equipment setup. Added Titleist 718 AP2 irons and Vokey SM7 wedges during the Australian Open. Replaced Aldila NV 2KXV Blue 70X driver shaft with Graphite Design’s new Tour AD-IZ 6X. Continues to wield Scotty Cameron 009 putter from his junior golf days.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte Spieth is consistent in his style, often gravitating towards similar designs (solids and classic stripes) and colors (blue and gray). For 2018, Jordan’s focus will be on fit. He’ll wear Under Armour’s new Showdown pant, which features a slimmer fit, increased stretch, and a lightweight fabric. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Brendon Todd shot a 5-under 65 Friday and grabbed a two-stroke lead through 36 holes of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Todd trailed defending champion Brooks Koepka after the first round by two strokes. He quickly erased that deficit and took the lead to himself with a bogey-free, five-birdie round for a 129 total at TPC Southwind. Rickie Fowler closed with birdies on his final two holes for a 67 and 131 total just behind Todd. Koepka had the lead to himself at 10 under before falling apart on his back nine with a double bogey and two bogeys. He finished with a 71, his first time over par at this course in seven rounds. He was four strokes back, tied with Byeong Hun An (65) and Chez Reavie (67). RELATED: Full leaderboard | New coach helps Koepka with strong start Jon Rahm shot a 74 and now is 4 over in his first event as No. 1 in the world. Justin Thomas, who could go back to No. 1 in the world with a win, was seven strokes back after a 70. Rory McIlroy’s bid to be No. 1 again may have to wait until the PGA Championship next week. He shot a 66, but is 10 strokes back. The wind eased from Thursday, making it easier off the tee in a round started early Friday morning to avoid expected thunderstorms in the afternoon. Todd won back-to-back tournaments last November for his first win on the PGA TOUR since winning the Byron Nelson in 2014. Since the return to play in June, Todd missed two cuts with his best finish a tie for 11th at the Travelers Championship. On Friday, his putter worked well enough that he needed only 24 putts in a round that featured a 50-footer for birdie on the par-3 No. 14. Todd hit a 6-iron to the left side of the green, and he had to roll the ball over a mound breaking left at least 5 feet. Todd stayed close to Koepka with birdies on Nos. 2 and 7. Todd sunk a 13-footer on the par-3 island green of No. 11 to go 9 under just as Koepka became the first to reach double digits under par. That’s when Koepka started struggling with his putter. Koepka double-bogeyed No. 2 when he three-putted after missing a putt for par from 3 feet. His putter cost him a birdie chance on the par-5 No. 3. That put Todd atop the leaderboard at 9 under, and his putter helped him birdie consecutive holes including the big putt on No. 14. He sunk a 12-footer for a second straight birdie on No. 15 to go 11 under and a four-stroke lead until Fowler’s birdie-birdie finish. Fowler might’ve had a piece of the lead if not for hitting his tee shot into the water in front of the island green at No. 11. He rebounded by hitting his approach 175 yards on No. 17 to 3 feet for birdie, and he holed out from the fairway just off the front of the green on No. 18.

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